English Reference

Word

shedding

Phoneticsshed·ding

US/ˈʃɛdɪŋ/

UK/ʃˈɛdɪŋ/

Definitions

01losing hair or skin

B2

n. the natural process of losing hair, skin, or leaves.

n. the physiological process of casting off a natural outer covering or layer, such as fur, feathers, or dead skin cells.

“During the spring, our dog's shedding means we have to vacuum every day.”

“The veterinarian explained that excessive shedding in cats can sometimes be a clinical sign of underlying stress or nutritional deficiencies.”

Synonyms

moltingcasting off

02material cast off

C1

n. the actual hair, skin, or other material that has fallen off.

n. the biological matter that has been discarded or cast off during a shedding process.

“The snake left its old skin shedding behind in the grass.”

“Microscopic analysis of the shedding found in the nest helped the researchers identify the specific species of migratory bird.”

Technical

Synonyms

Real-World Examples

“Combined results from the two studies suggest that some plants can refill embolized tissue and others cannot, shedding light on how different types of plants might recover from drought.”
Phys.org · 17 Aug 2026
“New Australian research is shedding light on why walking often becomes slower and more tiring with age.”
ScienceDaily · 16 Aug 2026

Collocations

shedding light

Word family

shedVerbsheddingNoun

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/shedding

English Reference